You already know the drill: right now we have few effective treatments to help persons afflicted with dementia. And given that estimates are that 50 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with dementia, that’s a tremendous amount of suffering and burden on both patients and their caregivers. If there’s any way to avoid this fate, you would hope millions of us would take advantage. And while there are some risk factors for dementia that you can do little about (think genetics, for example), it turns out that there’s much that can (and should) be done, both on an individual, as well as a broader society level, to mitigate the risks of a dementia diagnosis. In fact, in a report just out from The Lancet Commission, experts suggest that up 40% of dementia cases could be delayed or even prevented with lifestyle changes addressing 12 modifiable risk factors.

So what are those 12 modifiable risk factors? Some are within your individual control, such as addressing hypertension, hearing impairment, and smoking. Recently added to this list are excessive alcohol consumption and traumatic brain injuries. There’s also the regularly linked factors of obesity and diabetes. And then there are factors that require broader policy solutions, such as exposure to air pollution and insufficient levels of education. While no one can address all of these factors, many changes can be achieved and we’re now seeing levels of dementia decrease in some developed countries such as the US and parts of Europe (though other parts of the world are seeing increasing levels of dementia). For a broader understanding of what’s going on and how you can modify your own risks, read here.

There are a few other updates concerning dementia that may be of interest to you. One concerns dental health: A new study published in The Journal of the American Academy of Neurology reports an association between gum and periodontal disease with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. And in a more positive development, researchers from Affirmativ Health published findings in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that show success in treating cognitive decline and memory loss associated with dementia through the use of personalized precision medicine. The researchers looked at such factors as genetics, blood work, medical history, and lifestyle data to find specific therapies to address the unique factors in different patients that may be impeding memory and cognition. In fact, this same group of researchers just published a book – Outsmart Your Brain: The Insider’s Guide to Life-Long Memory– to help individuals strategize about maintaining and supporting memory as they get older. All in all, something to remember: there’s much to be done to lessen or even prevent the ravages of dementia if you take the time to learn how.